The present invention relates generally to teaching machines and, more particularly, to a novel machine for simultaneously teaching indicia relationships and keyboard operation without requiring the use of a previously prepared program.
Means have long been provided for training an operator to use the keyboards of various types of equipment by requiring that he visually inspect a sequence of indicia and depress the corresponding keys on the machine keyboard. Examples of each devices are disclosed in the U.S. Pats. to Goodell et al. 3,021,611, Priednicks et al. 3,100,351, Steury 3,136,073, Kobler et al. 3,281,959, and Hannah et al. 3,355,819. Although each of these prior art devices are primarily concerned with training an individual to utilize a keyboard and incidentally improve the users mental prowess, each requires that some type of previously prepared program be provided for generating the display which is to be observed by the student so that he may responsively actuate the keyboard. These devices also include means for comparing the displayed program with the keyboard manipulations performed by the student in order that his learning progress may be evaluated.
In addition to increasing the cost and complexity of the teaching apparatus, the necessity of providing a programmed tape or film as well as a means for displaying the program makes for a generally bulky device typically requiring a substantial number of mechanical components which give rise to troublesome as well as expensive periodic maintenance. Were it possible to provide a comparable teaching device which did not require the previously prepared program, but instead generated the display indicia using random signal generating techniques, a considerably less complicated, less expensive and more efficient device would be realized, and more readily utilizable.